The Cursed Iris

Sprout 1: A Promise Between Friends

Ayame, having remembered the night that just passed, sat in her room staring at the ceiling. She couldn't help it, and especially after what Atsuko said to her.

Her face turned red, then she buried her face into her pillow, "I knew Atsuko liked me, but I didn't know she felt like that," she stated muffled.

The gravity of both situations is heavy, but the one about her going back to the past was the one that weighed her down the most. According to Ryoma she would be traveling back to the Feudal Era of Japan during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Ayame loved everything about Feudal Japan, but she never thought that she'd be able to witness it first-hand.

On your sixteenth birthday you would take up the Dragonaut and travel back to the year of 1596. 4 years before the singularity event; that would give you more than enough time to make allies, train, and defeat the enemies that stand in your way, Ayame remembered Ryoma stating.

The thought really scared Ayame, because on one hand she gets to experience Japan at its most tense time, and on the other she may very well die at the start of this.

Then there was a realization that occurred to her, "I'm going to be twenty years old when this is over!?" she exclaimed.

"An all grown up Ayame? Count me in please," Atsuko replied while standing in the doorway.

Ayame looked over at her, and she remembered again. The memory caused her to blush again, "A-A-Atsu, when did you get here?" she stuttered.

Atsuko grinned. "Oh, I've been here."

"So, what's up?" Ayame asked, still nervous.

She thought it was weird because she never got nervous around Atsuko. But that night really changed the entire nature of their friendship in Ayame's eyes. Not only that Atsuko seemed more confident around Ayame than ever before.

Atsuko raised her hand, "Nothing much, I just wanted to check in on you," she walked over to sit next to Ayame.

As she plopped down on Ayame's bed, Ayame stared at Atsuko up and down, "You're different," she noted.

Atsuko heard her, confused, "What do you mean? I'm still the same Atsu."

"No, you're definitely different."

"That's not making me feel better," Atsuko grumbled.

Ayame smelled something, almost sweet like flowers sitting next to Atsuko. "Oh my god, you're wearing perfume," she said. This astonished her because Atsuko is never this girly. Nothing wrong with wearing perfume, but this is Atsuko, so that seemed to have confused her. Ayame didn't know who the girl in front of her was.

"You've been mean to me ever since that night..." Atsuko began to say.

"Of course, I have. I mean you all hid that from me, and then you," Ayame stammered in frustration. Her face was beet red, and she seemed to be steaming, "You basically stole my first kiss not once, but twice!" she yelled.

"Then it's not a first kiss," Atsuko snickered.

"That's not the point!" she screamed. "I'm already confused enough, but you just made it worse with your confession and that kiss."

"I just wanted you to believe me."

"I do believe you now. I've always believed you, but that kiss shouldn't have happened."

"Okay, okay. I see what you're saying."

Ayame wanted to believe that she wasn't playing with her, but she already knew Atsuko was. The tension between them was there but it was a lot less than it was that night. Tension was with everyone and Ayame, but Atsuko somehow got over it faster than the others. It began to worry her about Shiro and Natsumi, because she hasn't seen them ever since that night, and that was a week ago.